Migrant 911 calls could cost taxpayers
The Somerton Cocopah Fire Department says the federal government won't reimburse them for calls to the wall - FOX 9's Adam Klepp reports
YUMA, Ariz. (KECY, KYMA) - $47,000, that’s how much the Somerton Cocopah Fire department has spent on emergency calls to the wall from migrants in recent months.
It’s a dollar amount Fire Chief Paul De Anda says he doesn't expect to be reimbursed for from the federal government.
“The city is having to foot the bill for something the federal government is able to pay for, but for some reason isn't willing to," De Anda said.
Another surge in undocumented immigrants hit the Yuma Sector this weekend, with thousands being apprehended by border patrol, and seeking asylum.
De Anda said the department was no longer getting 911 calls from migrants but they started up again this weekend.
"We had 9 responses to that area over the weekend,” De Anda said.
Despite the cost, the fire department remains committed to helping the people who cross.
Crystal Ontiveros is a paramedic firefighter and says it’s heartbreaking whenever she is called out to the wall.sot -
“Some of them haven’t eaten or had water in 24 hours. So you can tell a lot of them are extremely dehydrated," Ontiveros said.
Despite the dangers of the journey, getting on the bus and hoping their asylum claims are accepted is what many migrants believe is their best chance to change their lives.
"Many people come here like us looking for protection. It guarantees us that we can be free and have a normal life without being in danger,” Andres & Luis, Colombian asylum seekers told me.
